


I'll Hate the Goodbye

by Skaboom



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - TiMER Fusion, Humans AU, M/M, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 16:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13345044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/pseuds/Skaboom
Summary: In a world where you can get a device implanted on your wrist that will count down to the exact second you will meet your soulmate, a lot of the guessing is taken out of the love game. For Liam Dunbar, a devout believer in the Timers, however, it’s more complicated. He got his Timer when he was 14 years old, but 10 years later, it’s still blank, and he’s starting to feel desperate. When he meets a ruggedly handsome bartender who thinks the Timer’s are nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy, and refuses to ever get one, Liam finds his world, and his search for his soulmate, turned upside down.





	I'll Hate the Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Timer fusion AU, and I really, really enjoyed writing it! You can definitely enjoy the story without having seen the movie, 100%, but you should check the movie out if you like the premise! It's very good. Title from All Time Low.

“What if it stays blank?”

“It won’t,” Liam said, grinning as he pulled Hayden into the store. “I can feel it. It’s...you’re the one, so it’s gonna work.”

“Sooo, you really think,” she said with a hopeful smile. “That when they finish, we’re both gonna zero out, right then and there?” 

“Definitely.” Liam nodded, looking down at his wrist where his own Timer rested, still as blank as it had been since the day he got it when at 14. 

Liam and Mason had gone to get them together, both thrilled that this device would be able to tell them the exact amount of time until they would meet their soulmates. Liam had always been something of a romantic, and Mason? He was eager to be along for the ride. So it was tough for both of them when Mason’s Timer counted down only hours until he would meet his soulmate, and Liam’s? His Timer had stayed blank. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that Liam didn’t have a soulmate -- it just meant that whoever he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with didn’t have their Timer put in yet. So he waited. He tried to be happy when Corey and Mason made eye contact the next day at school, and got together...immediately. He tried to be happy over the next few years as all of his friends slowly zeroed out, or got closer and closer to meeting their soulmate. 

It didn’t really start to hurt until just after college. Most people his age had Timers by now, and the fact that he still had a blank one? It was causing him to lose hope. Not everyone got a soulmate, he knew that. Not everyone believed the process was even worth trying. But he wanted one so badly, proof that there was someone out there that would balance out his anger, someone that would be there for him when he had a bad day, someone to love him, and only him. 

Someone that was his. 

Mason wouldn’t let him lose hope, though, and that was how he had gotten here, with Hayden, outside of the Timer store. 

He had dated a few people without Timers, and one by one, they had gone with him to get Timers, each of them turning on to count down days, hours, minutes, and Liam’s? His Timer remained blank. He felt now, though, that he had something real. He had been with Hayden for almost four months, and he loved her. He knew that he did. 

“Okay, this is it.” He squeezed her hand as the salesperson went over the rules, and the pricing of the Timer. 

“Is it going to hurt?” Hayden asked, looking up at him. 

“Just a pinch,” he promised. “And then we’ll know.”

“Okay.” Hayden nodded, wincing only slightly as her Timer was injected. 

**104 days -- 3 hours -- 47 minutes -- 12 seconds.**

Liam’s heart sank, and his face fell. 

“Liam…” Hayden looked at him with apologetic eyes as they left the store. “Liam, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault,” he said softly. 

“Look, I can get it removed, we can just…”

“But you’ll always wonder.” Liam looked at her. “You’ll always wonder who it was supposed to be, Hayden, and that’s not fair. You’ve got a soulmate out there, and if it doesn’t drive  _ you  _ crazy wondering who it would have been, well, it’ll drive me crazy knowing it wasn’t me.”

“So...that’s it?” She asked. 

“I’m sorry.” Liam nodded. 

“Me too.” She stood on her toes, leaning in, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek before turning and walking away, leaving Liam alone on the sidewalk, once again. 

Still without a soulmate. 

***   
  
“You again.” The bartender set down the glass he was drying as Liam flopped down in a seat at the bar. “It’s been a minute.”

“Yeah, well.” Liam shrugged. This place, The Timberwolf, was the closest bar to the Timer shop, and it was a tradition, really. After Liam failed to find his soulmate, he’d go to the Timberwolf, and drink until Mason came to pick him up. It definitely wasn’t his favorite tradition, but...he wasn’t ready to deal with this sober just yet. 

“The usual?” The bartender asked. 

“Mmhmm.” Liam nodded. 

“Another one that wasn’t the  _ one _ , eh?” The man slid a glass of whiskey to Liam. 

“Yes, and it would be great if you didn’t give me shit about it this time.”

“All I’m saying is that it’s not necessary, you know? Plenty of people don’t have Timers, kid.”

“Don’t call me kid -- I’m not that much younger than you,” Liam snapped. 

“Alright, alright.” The bartender laughed. “Just saying. Plenty of good people out there that don’t want their lives controlled by a little band with some numbers on it.”

“Whatever.” Liam sighed, downing the shot quickly, wincing as it burned down his throat, and gesturing for another one.

He waited at the bar for a couple of hours, drinking. He had texted Mason, and was still waiting to hear back, when the bartender walked over to him again. 

“You got a ride home?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” Liam slurred. “One more?”

“If by one more, you mean water, then sure.” The bartender poured him a glass of water, handing it over. 

“You really don’t want to know?” Liam asked, looking up at him. 

“Don’t want to know…?”

“Who your soulmate is.”

“You mean do I want a self-fulfilling prophecy to keep me from living my life?” The man shook his head. “Hell no. I can fall in love all by myself, thank you.”

“But, like, don’t you wanna know who it is that you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with?” Liam asked. 

“Maybe,” the man said. “But you know, I think I can figure that out without some sci-fi wrist watch telling me when I lock eyes with them. Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather do things that way.”

“Old fashioned,” Liam sighed. “What’s your name again?”

“Theo,” the bartender said. 

“Right, Theo. Don’t you think you’re making it harder for yourself?”

“What, because it’s so easy on you, having a Timer?” 

“Rude.”

“Hey, you walked into that one all on your own.” Theo laughed. “But do you want to know what I really think?” He asked, looking over at Liam. 

“Yeah, I do.”

“I think you should get that damned thing removed. I’ve seen you in here, drinking yourself into a stupor over some other person not being your soulmate four times this year alone,” he said. “And every time you do it, you’re missing so much of your life. Think of the fun you could be having if you didn’t spend so much time worrying about who your soulmate is.”

“Oh, so sue me for wanting a nice love life.”

“I mean, hey, that works for some, but it’s clearly not working for you, so don’t you think that maybe it’s time to try something different?”

“Something different like what?”

“Like actually living, instead of letting that blank counter do it for you.”

“And how do you propose I do that?” Liam asked. 

“Well,” Theo said with a smirk. “You could start by coming home with me.”

“Yeah. Right.” Liam scoffed. 

“Ouch, way to wound a guy.”

“I just think it’s kind of shitty,” Liam said. “That I’m here, baring my heart out, and you just want to get laid.” He pulled out his wallet, paying for the drinks. “See you never, I hope,” he said, stumbling towards the door to go meet Mason. 

“Good luck finding your soulmate!” Theo called after him, rolling his eyes. 

‘God, why was it that the hottest ones were always so set on finding their soulmate?’ Theo thought to himself.

***

“Maybe...it’s not the worst idea ever,” Mason said over breakfast the next morning. 

Liam had just finished telling him about everything that had happened the night before, the blow that Hayden not was not his soulmate, and his encounter with Theo at the bar. 

“What? Sleeping with the bartender?”

“No, no.” Mason shook his head. “He sounds like a tool, I just meant like...not focusing so much on the whole…”

“Okay, but that’s easy for you to say. You and Corey have been in heavenly bliss for ten fucking years.”

“Yeah, but we’re not like...it’s not like that for everyone, you know? So why not have a little fun.”

“Falling in love is fun,” Liam pointed out. 

“Yeah, until you get your heart broken time and time again,” Mason pointed out. “You’ve got your Timer, it’s blank, someone’s gonna get a Timer, and it’ll start counting down. All I’m saying is instead of trying to force it, just...enjoy yourself until the numbers show up.”

“Enjoy myself.” Liam bit his lip. 

“Yup.” Mason nodded.

“With who?”

“Well, that’s up to you, Liam,” he said with a smile. “Guys with Timers, girls with Timers, both without, just...have fun, and don’t worry so much about what is or isn’t on your wrist...or theirs.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“I think it’ll take your mind off of things, yeah. And I mean, good sex is...a lot of fun.”

“Okay.” Liam nodded. “No, you’re right, have fun, don’t worry so much, have good sex.”

“That’s my boy!” Mason smiled, playfully clapping him on the shoulder. “You can do this, buddy. I know that you can, and it’s not forever, okay? Just until your Timer turns on. And before you say anything else, it will turn on eventually, okay? Tons of people still don’t have them, but they will. More people get them every day.”

“No, I know. You’re right.” Liam smiled. “I’m gonna...have fun, and hope for the best.”

“Good. Get laid, go on dates. Be free, my little bird, be free!”

“You’re weird,” Liam said, flicking a piece of scambled egg at Mason. 

“And yet you love me.” Mason shrugged, gobbling up the egg that had been thrown at him. “I just want what’s best for you, and, right now, I think that’s to see you loosen up a little bit.”

“Yeah, I know.” Liam smiled at his friend. “I know.”

What he didn’t know was exactly how to find that sort of fun. He spent all day, and most of the night thinking about it, before he found himself walking into the Timberwolf just after midnight. 

“Hey, asshole,” he said, looking at the incredibly hot, incredibly mean bartender that had served him the night before. “You still want me?”

“Uh...what?” Theo looked up at Liam, surprised. 

“It’s now or never, buddy,” Liam said, rolling his eyes. Sure, he was probably making a fool of himself, but at this point, he really didn’t care anymore. He wanted to prove to himself, and to Mason, that he could do this. That he could go out, have meaningless, but incredible, sex, and not think about his Timer. 

“Now. Now is good,” Theo said, immediately fumbling with the apron he wore around his waist. 

“Raeken, where do you think you’re going?!” The young woman behind the bar glared at him. 

“Tracy, cover for me, I love you, I owe you on, but I’m out.” He grabbed his jacket and rushed towards the door that Liam was already walking out of. 

“FUCK YOU, RAEKEN!” Tracy called after him, though she was smiling, shaking her head as she did so. 

“My place or yours?” Theo asked as he caught up with Liam. 

“Yours. Definitely. I live with my best friend and his husband.”

“Weird,” Theo said, making a face. 

“Hey, if you’re going to get all judgy again, we don’t have to do this.”

“No, okay, it’s okay! Judgement stopping now,” Theo said with a smile. “My place it is.”

Liam got into his car, and followed Theo to his place. The last thing that he wanted was to be stuck at this guy’s place with no way to leave, so taking his own car? That had been very important to him. 

“So...this is your place?” Liam looked around the studio apartment that Theo had brought him to. 

“Yup.” Theo nodded. “Do you want something to drink, or eat, or-”

“Just shut up, okay?” Liam pushed Theo against the wall, kissing him aggressively. 

Theo didn’t have to be told twice. He matched Liam’s aggression, kissing him back, tearing at the other man’s clothes and at his hair. 

They didn’t make it to the bed, despite it only being feet away. 

“Oh...my god.” Liam panted, pulling himself up to a sitting position against the wall. 

“You okay?” Theo asked, looking up at him. 

“I have never...in my life...had sex...on the floor,” he gasped. 

“Well, you can’t say that anymore, can you?” Theo laughed, pulling Liam back down onto the ground, kissing him deeply. 

“That was incredible,” Liam admitted. 

“Funny, how good things can be when you really let yourself go, huh?”

“Yeah...wow.” Liam was still trying to catch his breath, his mind and heart racing.

He had never had sex like that before. It had been desperate, and primal, and needy, and it had gotten him completely out of his head. All that he could think about was the way their bodies had felt together, the way that they had worked together, not even making it to the bed. 

All that he could think about was Theo. 

“Do you want pizza?”

“What?” Liam was pulled from his thoughts by Theo’s words. 

“Do you want pizza?” Theo asked again. “I’m starving, and if we’re going to go again, I’m gonna need to re-up a little.”

“We’re gonna go again, huh?” He tilted his head to the side. 

“If you think  _ that  _ was good,” Theo asked, rolling over Liam, straddling him, pinning him to the floor by his wrists. “Then just wait until you see what I can do once I’m fed.”

“Oh my god,” Liam gasped. “Yes, pizza. Definitely.”

“That’s what I thought.” Theo ducked down, kissing Liam quickly before rolling off of him, going for his phone to order a pizza. 

While Theo took care of ordering pizza, Liam pulled his boxers back up and stood, looking around. The apartment was clean, tidy, save for a few clothes on the floor near the bed, and, yeah, it was small, but it looked homey, lived in. Nothing was new, Liam didn’t think, and nothing really matched furniture wise, but it was a comfortable place, and Liam found himself drawn to it. 

“Hey.” Theo came up behind Liam, kissing him on the shoulder. “Pizza’s on its way.We’ve got about half an hour.”

“What are you doing?” Liam turned around, frowning. 

“What do you mean?”

“You’re being...sweet?”

“I’m not actually the worst guy ever,” Theo said with a laugh. 

“Do you even know my name?” Liam asked. 

“Huh.” Theo chuckled. “No, I guess I don’t, but hey, that still doesn’t make me the worst guy ever.”

“I’m Liam.”

“Liam.” Theo smirked. “Yeah, that’s...I like that. It suits you.”

“Okay, stop with that. That’s not what I came here for.”

“Oh, yeah?” Theo laughed. “What did you come here for, huh?”

“You already know the answer to that. Don’t fuck with me.”

“No, I mean... what made you come back?” Theo asked, sitting down on the couch, gesturing for Liam to do the same. 

“Oh.” Liam shrugged. “I was talking to one of my friends, and he was just...telling me that you were right, that I should... maybe let go a little bit, have a little fun, and not be so focused on, you know, the Timer thing.”

“Yeah, well, he’s right.” Theo said with a shrug. “I mean look at what happened when you let go?”

“I know, I know.” Liam flushed. “But this was a one time thing, okay?”

“One time, huh?”

“Well...one  _ night  _ thing,” Liam said with a grin. 

“Okay.” Theo said. “One night. Got it.”

“Good.” Liam nodded, taking a deep breath, resting against the comfortable couch, regrouping while they waited for the pizza. 

Theo wasn’t kidding. He had told Liam that he would be better after he had been fed, but even with that in mind, Liam hadn’t expected what had come out of the other man. Theo was an animal in the best of ways, holding Liam down on the bed, doing almost all of the work, leaving Liam breathless, boneless, and completely satisfied. 

“Wow,” Liam breathed, lying on Theo’s bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts, find more words, but they weren’t there to be found. 

“Well, if this was only going to happen twice,” Theo said with a smirk. “I thought I’d make the best of it.”

Liam didn’t say anything. He was completely worn out, but his entire body felt alive. When Theo moved, putting his arms around him, snuggling up, Liam didn’t stop him, and it wasn’t long before he was asleep in the strong arms of the other man. 

When Liam woke, the digital clock on the bedside table told him that it was just after 5 AM. Quietly, he slipped out of Theo’s arms and grabbed his clothes, putting them on before tiptoeing out of the apartment to wait for a Lyft on the curb. He was having fun, he had had fun with Theo. He had had such fun with Theo twice, but this was just a bangover. He would go home, sleep in his own bed, and he’d feel better when he woke up. 

Or at least that was what he was telling himself. He had used Theo to get his Timer off of his mind, but now what was he supposed to use to get of all his thoughts of Theo?

***   
  
“I thought you weren’t going to sleep with the tool from the bar!” Mason’s eyes widened as he, Corey, and Liam sat on the couch of their shared apartment, drinking beer. 

“Wait, wait,” Corey furrowed his brow. “The asshole who tried to pick him up while he was drunk after Hayden?”

“Yeah.” Mason nodded. 

“Okay, guys, come on. Mason! You were the one that told me to go out and have fun.”

“And...did you?” Mason asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Oh my god, so much,” Liam sighed, leaning back against the armchair. “The things he did with his...everything. Holy shit.”

“Sounds like someone’s found his next target,” Corey said. 

“No, it’s not like that,” Liam said quickly. “He’s not...going to get a Timer, and he’s not...it was just once, well…” he flushed. “Twice, but just one night. That’s it.”

“So he gave you the best sex of your life,” Mason said. “And that’s it? You’re never going to see him again?”

“Correct.” Liam nodded. 

“Doesn’t that seem a little-”

“Awesome?” Mason cut Corey off. “It’s good. It’s what he needs to do, okay? He needs to get his mind off of everything, alright?”

“Okay.” Corey smiled. “Well then, I’m proud of you! Way to go, Liam. I’m glad that you finally had awesome sex, after having to hear us all of the time.”

“Yeah, one day I’m gonna pay you guys back for all of the awful things I’ve had to hear,” Liam said with a smile. 

“I’ll believe it when I hear it,” Corey said, rolling his eyes. 

“Don’t antagonize him,” Mason said with a laugh. “You never know what might happen.”

“Alright, alright, you’re right, I’m sorry.” He laughed. “So, no more hot bartender?”

“No more hot bartender.” Liam promised. 

Or rather, Liam lied. 

***

  
“Well...I didn’t think I was going to see you back here again,” Theo said with a smile as Liam sidled up to the bar about a week later. 

“Yeah,” Liam bit his lip. “I didn’t think I’d be coming back here either, but…”

“But the sex was too good?” Theo asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“Oh, yeah... way too good.” Liam nodded sheepishly. 

“Knew it.” Theo poured Liam a whiskey, passing it over. “On the house.”

“Thanks.” Liam bit his lip again, looking up at Theo. “So...do...do I have to say it?”

“No.” Theo shook his head. “I’m off in about an hour and a half. Think you can wait?”

“I’ll try my best,” Liam said with a smile, content to sip whiskey and watch Theo work for the next 90 minutes. 

“Do you have time to get a bite first?” Theo asked. “I’ve been on my feet for 9 hours. I need to eat something or I’m going to pass out before we get to the fun part.”

“Absolutely.” He nodded. Getting a little food in his stomach, that might be good for him. 

Liam wasn’t really sure what he was doing, but it felt right. There was something about Theo, about the night they had spent together, that had drawn him back here. 

“So,” Theo said as they walked down the street. “After you pulled your little disappearing act, I didn’t think I was going to see you again.”

“I told myself I wasn’t going to come back,” Liam said. “You are...not at all what I’m looking for.”

“Well,” Theo said. “What you’ve been looking for hasn’t exactly been working for you, has it?”

“No, I...I guess not.” Liam bit his lip. “But…”

“Hey,” Theo said softly. “It’s okay, I’m just teasing. Let’s get something to eat, go back to my place, and we can just...go from there, okay?”

“Yeah.” Liam raked a hand through his long hair. “Yes. That sounds good to me.”

And it was good. 

It was really good. 

They fell into a rhythm after that. Liam would meet Theo at the bar some nights, and go back to his place after dinner together. On Theo’s days off, they would hang out, often just lying around Theo’s apartment, drinking, watching movies, eating pizza, and having sex. 

The days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, and Liam? He kept Theo a secret. He told Mason and Corey that he was exploring his options, and they didn’t push it further than that. They were excited that Liam was finally getting out there and not freaking out about the Timer on his wrist. They were so excited to the point where it didn’t care who it was, as long as Liam was happy. 

And Liam was happy. They talked about Theo’s family, and Liam comforted him when Theo talked about his sister, Tara, and how his entire family had crumbled after her death. Theo listened to Liam’s ranting about his high school history students, and he laughed when Liam told Theo stories about himself, Mason, and Corey in high school. They kissed, they talked, and Liam? He didn’t think about who his soulmate might be, not when he was with Theo, because he didn’t have to. Theo had all of his attention. 

“So,” Liam hooked a leg over Theo’s, pulling him closer in the bed. “My roommates are out of town this weekend, and I figured since you haven’t seen my place…”

“Are you asking me to come stay the weekend?”

“If you want to.”

“Of course I want to.” Theo leaned in, kissing Liam softly. “I want to see your place. I feel like...I’ve been telling you everything, you know, about my family, my sister, and you...told me about your job at the high school, and that’s about it.”

“I...I don’t want to get too close to you,” Liam admitted, his fears coming rushing back in that moment. Theo wasn’t his person. Theo couldn’t be his person, because his wrists would always be void of the Timer, and Liam? He would never know for sure, and for that? For that he had to keep Theo at arm’s length. 

“Seriously?” Theo frowned, sitting up, looking down at Liam. “Liam, we’ve been together for months, and you don’t want to get close to me? Don’t you think that’s a little ridiculous? The time for pretending this was casual has passed.”

“What are you talking about? No it hasn’t! There’s no statute of limitations on casual!”

“You stay at my place like four nights a week!”

“I don’t understand why you’re flipping out about this,” Liam said. “I thought I was clear with you, I only get serious with people who-”

“Would get a Timer for you, just so that you can break their hearts when it turns out that you’re not soulmates?”

“I…” Liam gaped at Theo. “That’s not-”

“That is  _ exactly  _ what you do!” Theo said. “Are you telling me that if you were with someone, and you loved them, and they loved you back, and they got a Timer, and you didn’t zero out with them, you’d stay with them?”

“Well I…”

“That’s what I thought,” Theo said softly. 

“I didn’t...I didn’t mean for this to go here! I didn’t realize it wasn’t casual for you anymore.”

“For  _ me _ ?” Theo said. “Liam, we go out, we stay in, we watch movies, we play games, we talk about life, we hang out, we sleep together, and sometimes we don’t. That’s not casual! We’re in a relationship!”

“No, we’re not!” Liam said. “You can’t just decide that we’re in a relationship, Theo.”

“I didn’t -- it just happened!” He frowned. “But you know what? You’re right. There would have to be two of us for this to really work out, huh?”

“Yes.” Liam nodded. “And maybe if you would consider-”

“No, Liam.” Theo shook his head. “I’m not getting a fucking Timer, okay?”

“Fine.” Liam got up, angrily pulling his boxers on, followed by his jeans, and his shirt. “I...you’re right, I let it go too far, but it’s done now. This is...this was the last time.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Theo said, equally angry. “Since it’s clear that we are on completely different pages.”

“God, we’re in different  _ books _ ,” Liam said, pulling his shoes on. “This was a mistake,” he said, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.  _ “You _ were a mistake.” With that, he slammed the door, storming out of Theo’s apartment.

***   
  


“Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?” Mason asked as he came home to find Liam sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

“What do you mean?” Liam asked. 

“You went from going out like...every night, staying out all night, and being this happy, carefree Liam, to moping on the couch, watching HGTV like...every day.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s been like two weeks, Liam. You’re depressing Corey.”

“He has trouble with that without me,” Liam growled. “It’s not my fault his parents neglected him.”

“Whoa.” Mason frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “Absolutely not. No. You do not get to throw that out there. This is how I know something’s wrong with you, because that was mean, Liam, and you’re not mean.”

“It’s not like he was here to hear it,” Liam grumbled. 

“Still.” Mason sat down on the couch, taking the remote, turning off the TV. “Tell me what’s wrong, Liam. You tell me everything, and I just want to know what’s going on with you, so that I can help.”

“Mason…” Liam looked at him. 

“Nope, not gonna work. Come on, tell me what’s going on.”

“You’re going to judge me.”

“Yeah, probably.” Mason nodded. “That hasn’t stopped you from spilling your guts to me before.”

“Fine.” Liam sighed, waiting before finally speaking. “It’s Theo.”

“Who’s Theo?” Mason asked, confused. 

“The uh...theassholebartenderfromtimberwolf,” he said quietly and quickly, running the words together. 

“What?” Mason frowned. 

“The bartender,” he said. “From Timberwolf.”

“The best sex of your  _ life  _ bartender?” 

“Yes,” Liam said. “I lied. I said I wasn’t going to see him again, but I totally saw him again. I saw him, and I saw him, and I saw him…” 

“And you fell for him.”

“And I fell for him,” Liam whined, slumping into the couch. 

“So what happened?” Mason asked, reaching out, patting his friend on the shoulder. 

“I lied to him,” Liam admitted. “A lot. I told him that I didn’t want to get close to him, or be with him, and I made him think I didn’t really care about him.”

“And it’s all because he wouldn’t get a Timer?” Mason asked. 

“Well, yeah.” Liam nodded. “How will we know, you know? If he doesn’t get one.”

“I mean,” Mason bit his lip. “I’m not sure if I’m the right person to tell you this stuff, because as you know, my Timer led me right to Corey, and I’ve never even thought about looking away from that, but...the way you’re feeling right now?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re  _ feeling _ , Liam, and if your feelings are for the asshole bartender, maybe it’s worth talking to him about it again, seeing if you guys can come to some sort of...something.”

“It’s too late for that,” Liam said. “I...I told him it was over, and it is. It has to be, because we want different things, but…”

“But you went through a break up and your sad?”

“But I went through a break up and I’m sad.” Liam nodded. 

“I’ll tell Corey to pick up ice cream on his way home, and we can order pizza.”

“No, god, not pizza.”

“Not pizza?”

“He ordered us pizza. A lot.”

“Okay, Chinese then,” Mason said. “Or Thai, or whatever you want. You’re sad, and it’s okay to wallow, so we’re going to wallow, okay?”

“Okay.” Liam nodded, snuggling against his best friend as Mason texted Corey. “Thank you.”

“Of course, buddy.” Mason said with a smile. “You’re my best friend.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Liam admitted. 

“Lucky for you, you never have to find out.”

“I’m sorry for what I said about Corey.”

“Yeah, I know.” Mason smiled gently at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him, because I know you didn’t mean that. You’re not a mean guy, you’re just going through something. Happens to the best of us.”

“Yeah,” Liam sighed. “And I’m gonna get through it, you know, I always do.”

***   


“Mr. Dunbar?”

Liam was spending the lunch period in his classroom, bent over his desk, grading the latest unit test that he had given his history students. 

“Just a sec,” Liam said, scribbling a grade on a test before looking up, shocked to see Theo fucking Raeken standing in his classroom. “What...are you doing here? You can’t be here. How did you even get in?”

“I got a badge, calm down.” He gestured to his visitor’s badge. “I used to go here. I said I was coming to visit Finstock.”

“Oh hell no.” Liam sighed. “You have to go; you can’t be here.”

“We’ve already been over that, and it looks like I can so just… stop saying that.”

“Fine,” Liam said. “What  _ are  _ you doing here?”

“I’m here for you,” Theo said. 

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve spent like three weeks thinking about it, and I’ve decided that you’re being stupid.”

“Three weeks of thinking and that’s all you’ve got? That I’m stupid?”

“Yes.” Theo nodded. “That you’re stupid, and that I’m not going to let you let me go, let  _ this  _ go, because I love you, Liam, and I think that you love me, too.”

“Theo…” Liam looked at him, pained. 

“No, shut up for just a minute,” Theo said, holding his hands up. “You love me, and I get it, you’re scared, because you want that...that  _ thing  _ to tell you for sure, but just play it out. We go to the store, I get the Timer, and what does it say, Liam? If you close your eyes and really think about it, what does it say?”

“I…”

“Just close your eyes, and think about it, Liam,” Theo pleaded. 

“Fine.” Liam took a deep breath, closing his eyes. 

“We go to the store,” Theo said. “I sit in the chair, you hold my hand, they put on the Timer, and what does it say?”

“Theo…”

Theo didn’t say anything. He walked closer to Liam, whose eyes were still closed, and kissed him long and deep. 

“What does it say?”

“It says you’re my soulmate,” Liam said softly, opening his eyes, looking at Theo. 

“Then there you go, Liam,” Theo said, moving his arms around Liam’s waist. He pulled him in closer, pressing their foreheads together. “It doesn’t matter, does it? If we go in and get it, because you  _ know  _ how you feel about me, and that? That’s what matters, isn’t it?”

“Theo…”

“But what? But you’ll never be  _ sure  _ because some high tech bracelet doesn’t confirm it for you?” He bit his lip. “I think that those things are a crock of shit. Sure, some of them lead people to everything they’ve ever wanted, but other people just believe they’ve met their soulmate because they want to so badly, and you, Liam? You’re supposed to be with me. I can feel it, and I know that you can, too, so be  _ with  _ me, Liam.”

“Theo.” 

“What?”

“I got it removed.” 

“What?” Theo froze, looking at Liam, shocked. “Once you get it removed, you can’t ever-”

“I know.” Liam nodded. 

“And you got it...removed.”

“Yes.” Liam gulped. “I’ve been talking to Mason and Corey a lot, and they agree with you, they think that I let it get so far that when I zero out,  _ if  _ I ever zero out, I would just...go headfirst into it because it was my Timer, and that it wouldn’t matter who the person was, or what they were like, and...yes, they found this beautiful love at the hands of their Timers, but I found love without it, and maybe...that’s what some people are supposed to do.”

“Yeah,” Theo smiled. “It is. I just...I don’t know why you didn’t tell me.”

“Because it was over, Theo. The things I said, the things I did? I ended what we had together.”

“No, you didn’t,” Theo shook his head. “You just thought you did. Just like how you thought we weren’t in a relationship.”

“No,” Liam looked down at the ground. “I...I knew we were in a relationship. I was just afraid of it; of what that meant.”

“What were you more afraid of?” Theo asked. “Falling for someone who wasn’t your soulmate, or falling for someone who might have been?”

“I…” Liam paused. “I don’t know. I’ve gotten it all so wound up in my head that-”

He was interrupted by the bell ringing. 

“I’m gonna have students any minute.”

“Okay.” Theo nodded. “I’m working tonight, but come to the bar after work, okay? Something tells me that I can get Tracy to cover, and Liam?” Theo stepped back. “If you don’t show up, I get it. I’ll back off, and that’s that.”

“No,” Liam bit his lip. “I...I’ll be there.”

“Yeah,” Theo said, with his trademark smirk. “I know."

As Theo turned his back on Liam, leaving the room, Liam pulled up the sleeve of his button down, looking down at his wrist. 

**044 days -- 0 hours -- 57 minutes -- 02 seconds.**

“I’m sorry, class,” Liam said as his students filed in. “I’m not feeling well, I...I have to go."

He ran out of the classroom, getting into his car, and heading straight for the Timer store. 

His heart had zeroed out the minute he had met Theo, he just hadn't realized it, and whoever was on the other end of those 44 days? Well, Liam didn't care anymore. He had been waiting his entire life to find a love that made him feel alive, and he had found it.

No high tech bracelet was going to tell him otherwise.  


It was finally time to listen to his racing heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! This was my final entry for the Thiam Movie AU Fest, for sci-fi day! If you go on tumblr (purplehoodiesandleatherjackets), you can find a lovely graphics board for this story made by eliestarr. This fic was beta'd by Kaijucade.


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